A popular feature among users of mobile telephones is caller ID. This feature allows the user to view the number of the calling party prior to answering the phone. Caller ID information is extracted from the received signal and output to the phone's display. The user can view the caller ID information on the display of the telephone before answering and elect whether to answer the phone after observing the number of the calling party.
Another popular feature of mobile telephones is a flip cover or other type of movable cover. A flip cover is a cover that is connected by a hinge to the main body of the telephone. The flip or cover is moveable between open and closed positions. When the phone is not in use, the cover is folded against the main body of the telephone in the closed position. During use, the cover is moved to the open position to provide a hand-held telephone capable of providing a speaker proximate a user's ear and a microphone substantially near the user's mouth. Typically, the phone is programmed to automatically accept the incoming call when the cover or flip is moved to the open position after an incoming call is received.
Flip phones and other phones with moveable covers are sometimes designed so that the moveable cover conceals the display and keypad when the cover is in the closed position. Movable covers that conceal the display of the phone in the closed position prevent the user from taking advantage of the caller ID capability if the telephone is programmed to accept incoming calls when the cover is moved to the open position. There is no way the user can check the caller ID information before answering the call without triggering the automatic accept response of the phone. One solution to this problem is to disable the automatic accept response of the mobile telephone. However, this would require the user to take some affirmative step, in addition to opening the cover, in order to answer the phone and is therefore not desirable. Thus, there is a need for mobile telephone with a moveable cover that allows the user to view caller ID information on the display before answering an incoming call.